Old Radio
by XBTTRFLIPRJX
Summary: In this city, there are walls that surround us. The citizens all abide by these simple rules: don't go near the wall, don't touch the wall, don't talk about what's outside the wall. Aniki broke all three. Birdy, birdy, where are you going? AU
1. No Outside

I don't own Naruto

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There isn't really a beginning to this story, this tale. There's no real end to it, either. This tale of mine, really, is only a wait, a period of long patience. Who knew that patience would bring in something so hopeful into life.

In this city, there are walls that keeps us prisoners. There are really only a few prominent rules that needed to be followed.

Don't go near the wall.

Don't go past the wall.

Don't talk about what's outside the wall.

_Birdy, birdy, where are you going?_

Of course, as the saying goes, rules are made to be broken. When you walk past the markets, walk past in an inconspicuous enough manner to hear the murmurs of the adults, you can hear tales, tales of the outside.

"There used to be a bunch of other cities," some would mutter. "There were so many people on the outside," others would whisper. "They're keeping us here like guinea pigs," yet others would hiss bitterly, "guinea pigs that need to be caged."

_No, no, don't go there. If you go there, I can't get you back. Don't go there, not there._

_You'll get lost. You'll leave the city._

It's to protect us, they say. The authorities, that is. The policemen who patrol the streets say it, the government officers at the Parliament say it, and the politicians on the fancy stages and at the decked-out parties announce it, declare it for the city to hear.

_I'll never get you back_.

The outside's just a wasteland, they tell us. A wasteland left in the wake of the war.

What war, we would ask.

The war that tore the world down, they would answer simply. We're the only city left now. You should be proud that you live in the surviving city.

_Birdy, birdy, come back! Come back!_

Aniki doesn't agree. He scoffs at the government, at the excuses they give "to trap us", as aniki says. "To keep the younger generation oblivious." Oblivious to what, aniki? I would ask.

"Oblivious to what they've done, to what they've been doing. Don't trust them, Sasuke. Even if I can't tell you now, you'll know someday. And you'll be part of the generation that changes this city, the generation that would set us all free."

_Birdy, birdy, no! Don't go there! The wall's off-limits! No! Birdy! Why are you leaving me? Come back, please, come back!_

Aniki never did get to see us become that generation, never did get to see me and Naruto as the 'promising non-blood brothers' he envisioned us to be.

He died on May 5th, two years after I left that house. Two years after he locked himself away for a stupid project and refused to come out.

_Please, I have to get her back! My birdy flew over the wall! Please, let me get it back!_

During those two years, not once have I went back to that house. I lived the first six months with my uncle Orochimaru. When he died of heart failure, I spent the rest of the year at the Akatsuki Orphan compound. I hated it there, and lived a few years with another long-lost uncle of mine, Madara. Finally, I gave up moving around and decided that alone was best, that alone didn't hurt, couldn't hurt, as much as being with other people did.

_Aniki, aniki, please, help me! Birdy flew away, over the wall! The officers wouldn't let me go get her! Please, she might be hungry, or scared, I—aniki, please…why won't you answer me…aniki…birdy left…she might die out there! Aniki, why won't you reply?!_

A letter came to me a month after. I didn't find out about his death until the letter arrived.

'To the younger brother of Uchiha Itachi,' it read. 'We are sorry to inform you that your older brother has been found dead on the grounds of the Uchiha compound. The cause of his untimely death is unknown. As you are the only remaining relative and offspring of the Uchiha clan, we ask of you to come and pick up his things, as stated in the will, or move back into the compound, to prevent any of your brother's belongings from being burned. Please do as you see fit. Sincerely, the Konoha Council.'

Haughty and abrupt, the way the letter was written. _This was definitely not written by Naruto_, was my first thought at the time._ If the Rokudaime had known, he would've personally gone up to tell me._ My second thought had been a sort of realization. _Aniki is dead?_

_I hate you, _I hate you_! Go away, because of you…because of you-! Birdy's _gone_, she might never come back! She'll die out there! All because…_why_, aniki? Why didn't you at least reply? At least…at least_ talk_ to me?! Aniki…I'm leaving, aniki…I'll go to Uncle Orochimaru's house…he's offered to let me live there a bit, says that Kabuto needs some company. At least…at least Uncle will talk to me….Bye-bye, aniki…just…bye…aniki…_

_[Are you disappointed in me?]_

I didn't…really feel much when I received the news, received the revelation that my brother was dead. No screaming, no real disbelief, no crying, no sadness, no hate, no regret. Just acceptance, really.

Go back home, get his things, and leave. Those were the orders that went through my mind, before I found myself walking, all the way to the place I used to call home. Before I found myself standing here in front of the giant double doors, my cold-numbed fingers inserting the dusty key into the lock.

I don't know what I expected to find in Itachi's abode, in the place that used to be home. Unsharpened kunais? Political posters? T-shirts strewn around the room? Unwashed dishes and a find layer of dusting? No, I didn't expect anything, really. Maybe the kunais, even the dishes, though aniki was, last I remembered, a neater and more methodical person than this. But the strange, square, cold device left on the table was completely unexpected. It was black, with two small speakers built into it, and what looked like rotating knobs stuck themselves onto the metal surface in a neat, symmetrical way, with one on either sides of the front of the box. In the back, there was an extendable metal stick. It was thin, and incredibly light, and when I turned the switch on the box to 'On', and pulled the stick a little bit up, I could hear faint static coming from the speakers.

Curious, I tugged the metal stick all the way out, before spinning one of the knobs a little, amazed that the static came out louder when I turned it to the right, and quieter when I spun it to the left. I tested the other knob as well, but what came out of the speakers wasn't static this time.

It was unbridled, sweet, flowing, soft music, with the most angelic sounding voice crooning along with the tune.

I nearly dropped the singing box in shock. It was a _radio_, a _radio_ of all things. Aniki hadn't just broken rule number three; he had shook it, smashed it, and spit on it's remains, now that he had built a forbidden outside-contacting device. This was nearly an act of _treason_. Aniki would have been _killed_ if anyone had found out. _Can't murder the dead now, can they?_ a little voice reasoned dryly in the back of my head. No, the Konoha Council couldn't kill the dead, but I was very much alive, and if they found this treacherous box of metal, they would push all the blame on me. _Not if they can't find it_, the voice whispered again. _Shut up_, I mentally hissed at it furiously. Law-abiding citizen I was not, but I was not about to get my insides handed to me if I could help it. _I am burning this thing. Aniki was a _nutjob_ if he thought he was going to be having it kept in one piece when he willed it over to me_. Shoving it into the inside of my jacket pocket, I promised myself that I was going to toss this in a trash far, far away from here, first chance I got.

That little vow would turn into an ironic promise, but there's a time and place for everything.

I kept walking, deeper into the house. Aniki didn't own much; most were basically family heirlooms that I didn't take with me to Orochimaru's. I stopped when I got far enough into the building that I stood directly in front of aniki's bedroom door. Pushing it open with slight hesitation, I made my way inside.

It was dimly lit, his room, with a faint glow coming from somewhere I couldn't yet pinpoint. I stood in the doorframe for a moment, allowing my eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. His bed was neatly made, like no one had ever really slept on it for some time, which I guess was reasonable, since aniki had been dead for a month now. In one corner of the room, a dresser was neatly tucked away, with picture frames pushed face-down on the top, so that none of the images would show. I didn't bother picking them to face up again as I made my way past. The glow had come from under the door to his closet. This, no matter what circumstance, would strike any normal person as strange. Cautiously, I reached out to open the closet door.

_Aniki, aniki, look! The bird's blue! It's a blue bird! And it's eyes—whoa! They're so green, aniki! It's like—like a milky green sort of colour! Look, aniki!_

Pink. That was all I saw first when pulled aside the doors. Pink? That was a strange colour to be found in my aniki's room. Then I saw that it was hair. Short, jagged, pink hair.

_Yes it is, Sasuke. They really _are_ green. Have you given it a name? Why don't we name it something besides Birdy, okay? I don't think that Birdy is really a name suitable enough for this one._

Short, jagged, pink hair resting on the scalp of a small girl. _There is a pink haired girl sleeping on the floor of my brother's closet. **There is a pink haired girl in my brother's closet**_.

_But why not Birdy, aniki? It's a good enough name!_

_I think that this one would need a more special name, Sasuke. A more special name for a special bird._

It took me a few moments (mentally breaking-down moments) to gather my thoughts (and remaining sanity) and reach down to peer at the girl, ignoring the very obvious awkwardness of this situation. She had porcelain skin, with high cheekbones and long, pink eyelashes. Her form was slumped in a half sitting, half leaning position against the back of the closet, tiny hands folded together on her lap. She was dressed in a nice, simple white dress; practical and comfortable. Short pink hair barely brushed the tops of her shoulder, and just from taking a glance at her muscled forearms I able to tell that this girl was strong.

_What do you suggest, aniki? And we're not calling her Ino or Karin, I don't care how much you think it fits, we're not calling her _those_._

_Hehe, well, Sasuke, I was thinking something prettier_…

_What was a pink haired girl doing in my brother's room?_ I asked myself. There were many places you could go with that question, and I was not about to explore them. One thing that bothered

me, though, and it was that if she had been here when aniki had, then she would have been here for a month….

Would she have answers? Answers as to why aniki had made a radio, a _radio_ of all things?

I reached forward, intending to wake her up

_We found her in the spring, right? _

_Yeah, aniki?_

No matter how hard I shook her, she wasn't responding. I tried to be careful, but after more than a few shakes, and still no stir, I took to rapping her on the skull—lightly, of course. "Hey…hey, you! Annoying little…at least open your eyes." She wasn't dead, this I knew. She had a pulse, and her skin was warm and had colour to it. If you were quiet enough, you could even hear her barely-audible breathing. "….Tch!" I gave up after five minutes of this, hoping that she liked cold water because if she wasn't opening her eyes anytime soon, I was about to dump some on her. Spinning around to head to the kitchen, I unceremoniously managed to trip on some wires in the closet. "What the—" Steadying myself on the closet's doorframe, I looked down and spotted a small and faintly glowing laptop, spread out dangerously on the ground, multiple wires protruding from the back, and disappearing behind the girl, into the darkness. _Another one of aniki's forbidden devices_, I thought darkly to myself as I bent to pick it up, hoping to dump it along with the radio. The screen was blank, saved for a single, blinking sentence scrolled through the middle.

**Push any button to remove from sleep mode_**

_Sleep mode?_, I wondered, before my eyes flashed involuntarily at the sleeping girl. _What the heck_, I shrugged after a moment. _It's worth a try_. I tapped a random key on the keyboard, and sat back on my haunches.

Immediately, the girl's eyes snapped open, her head rearing up, startling me so that I twitched in surprise (Uchihas don't fall in surprise. We twitch). Milky green eyes stared up at me, confusion written all over her face.

Did aniki just make a cyborg?

I nearly groaned at the revelation, head buried in my hands. Of _course_ aniki had to go and make a cyborg. No, apparently shattering and spitting on the rules wasn't enough; he just _had_ to go shove it back in the Konoha Council's faces, too. Shove it back and taunt them and spit in _their_ faces. _Enough_, I ordered myself. _We have more pressing matters at hand. That can worry can be played with later_.

_And look, we found her in the cherry trees! So…I was thinking…what about…_

The girl cocked her head to the side, a quizzical expression written clearly on her face. Briefly, I wondered if she was coherent, but the thought was tossed aside when she furrowed her pinks brows and questioned in a sleep-roughened voice, "Itachi?" I blinked once, a small sign of surprise before I stared at her straight on. "No." I stated blunty, coldly. Because it wouldn't do to get attached to something, to somebody. "Uchiha Sasuke."

It was her turn to blink, a brow raising higher on her face. "Oh." After a moment, she stuck out her hand, and spoke clearly.

_Sakura_._ Let's call it Sakura_.

"The name's Sakura. Just Sakura."

And then she gave me a dazzling smile.

"Hello, Mr. Uchiha Sasuke."


	2. Await Assessment

IIIII DOOONNN'TTT OOWWNNNNN NAAARUUUUTOOOOO...O...

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Old Radio II: Static Voices

"I'm not a cyborg," was the first answer I received from the pink-haired free loader as she quietly sipped some black coffee I had given her. "See?" She held up her hand, the pale, calloused fingers illuminated by the kitchen's pale lighting. "One hundred percent human. Itachi would have had to spend a fortune on realistic skin like this for a cyborg. Expensive black-market materials are too risky—the government would notice, and if not the government, than the mafia would." She explained, matter-of-fact, as if buying underground goods was the most normal thing in life. "Now syringes, and scalpels, no one would miss. Technology can be easily stolen, too, and nobody would notice too much if they're missing a few computer chips."

Absently, I realized that this girl talked quite a lot, even if it was to explain the highs and lows of the making of a controllable, non-cyborg human girl. I raised a questioning brow at her, staring pointedly at the hollow circuit plugs at the back of her neck, where I had found the wires that were connected to the computer protruding from. "This?" she asked subconsciously, rubbing the spot with care. "Itachi placed some of the computer chip parts in here, along with some other technical stuff I'd get mixed up with, to control the functions and electric signals that are being sent to my brain. Your brother is a freaking genius, you know that?" Sakura stared pointedly at me, her milky green eyes shy but piercing.

"Hn." I grunted, my eyes never leaving hers. It doesn't do well for the Uchiha reputation to avoid eye contact.

Itachi had been a genius and no one in this city, absoloutely _no one_ didn't let him nor I escape that fact. Having an aniki with a sky-high IQ was great and all, but having him as your _older brother_ really takes a toll on you. I don't remember how many times I've come home to slam the door in my brother's wake whenever I'd been subjected to a hundred too many comparisons and expectations.

Sakura hesitated after a few minutes before shyly ducking her head so that her pink hair covered her face and she was staring with large interest into her coffee mug. "Just so you know," she mumbled around the rim.

The pinkette was unsure, I realized, as well as feeling awkward. A normal person would be a bit awkward after finding out that they've been in a coma for a month. A normal person would definitely feel awkward when they woke up inside a house whose owner had died and the only remaining relative was a cold-hearted stranger. A normal person would worry nervously if they would be thrown out into the streets by the cold-hearted stranger and left to whatever the heck was out there.

I finished my coffee, feeling the last of it's empowering bitterness slide hotly down my throat. "So," I grunted as I placed the mug into the sink. "What are we going do?" At this, I stared pointedly at her. Sakura swallowed visibly, clearly nervous and looking exactly like a pink mouse hoping to gain the favor of an unforgiving hawk. "Um," she started. "I was…I mean…if it's okay…er…." She took a deep breath, visibly willing herself to calm down, to not screw this up. I watched on impassively. "Look," she tried again. "not to be rude or anything, Sasuke-kun," I twitched at this little nickname. It wasn't exactly doing wonders for her reputation. "It's just that I've been staying here for almost two years now"—I almost choked on thin air, but I was an Uchiha, so I didn't—"and Itachi and I have come to the agreement that if anything were to befall upon him, this would be my place of residence, though it isn't really written on any official papers or anything…" she trailed off uncertainly, and I thought she was done before she picked up again. "However, I am also considered as one of Itachi's 'belongings', and all of them have been willed off to you and Itachi has already told me beforehand that ultimately, the decision to keep me or not would be left up to you….so…I guess it's your call, Sasuke-kun." She shrugged helplessly, her right arm stiffly rubbing her left in hopes to ease her palpable anxiousness.

Honestly speaking, this was a lot to take in, mostly about the fact that she had been staying here since practically the start of my absence from the house. I inhaled quietly, but deeply, willing my sanity back into place, gaining back my peace of mind bit by bit. Exhaling inaudibly, I opened my obsidian eyes to stare directly at her. Sakura was still fidgeting, her eyes downcast and avoiding any eye contact. _My call, huh_, I mused. I was anti-social by nature, even I would admit that much, and I disliked having people by my side. I didn't have much of a conscience, either, so I wouldn't feel anything if I tossed her out into the streets, but…

Sakura, this pink-haired, amnesiac teenager previously linked to aniki's forbidden laptop, felt like Itachi's last legacy, like it was his final message or something. I was never one for the philosophical stuff, but somehow, leaving a girl linked to a laptop, waiting for a command to wake her from her sleep, just didn't seem like one of Itachi's whims. Aniki spoke big, and did big things to achieve his talks, especially the ones related to the government. Filing for a controllable teenage girl seemed to be that 'something big' that could change this government.

And aniki had willed her over to me.

Slowly, I lifted a hand to rub my temples, attempting to ease the growing headache. Finally, after a few tense minutes, I spoke to her.

"You can stay."

Her head snapped up so fast I thought she was going to get whiplash. Green eyes wide as saucers, she stared at me for a moment, as if she couldn't believe it. Her mouth moved, gaping like a fish's, but no sound came out. "_Really?_" she managed to finally squeak. I nodded, too tired to waste words on this girl. Relief poured out of her in waves. "_Thank you_," she breathed. "_Thank you, thank you, _**thank you**."

"You can use the old guest room," I replied tiredly as I backed out of the room. Having her sleep in Itachi's room would just creep me out. "Goodnight." I said shortly over my shoulder, not bothering to turn around.

"Oh!" I heard scrambling, just as I was heading down the hall. "Uhmm, Sasuke-kun, before I forget—here!" Sakura shoved something soft into my hands, closing my fingers over it before I could catch a glimpse of what it was. "Itachi told me to give it to you, if you ever came back to wake me up. Goodnight, Sasuke-kun!"

Before I could stammer out, "But I didn't come back to—", the pinkette had scampered down the hall and swished out of sight, presumably into the guest room.

I stared after her for a moment, before I looked down and unwrapped my fingers from the object she shoved at me.

There, sitting in the palm of my hand, was a light blue feather, identical to the ones that had been on my escaped bird long, long ago.


End file.
